Rural America

In Appalachia, the Mine Cleanup System Has Collapsed

Coal companies are declaring bankruptcy. State regulators are failing to hold them accountable. And residents are left to suffer the environmental fallout from abandoned mines.

Dan Radmacher

Surging Wheat Prices and Fertilizer Shortages: How the War in Ukraine Could Impact U.S. Agriculture

Both Ukraine and Russia are major exporters of agricultural products. In a market that’s “incredibly global,” U.S. farmers will feel the effects of war and sanctions.

Johnathan Hettinger, Madison McVan and Amanda Pérez Pintado

The Fight to Reclaim Colorado's Privatized Rivers for the Public

A fisherman’s lawsuit pushes back against a tide of wealth-driven privatization that seeks to deny public access to waterways and other public resources.

Mark Squillace

A New Law Promised Debt Relief for Black Farmers. Instead, Some Got Collection Notices.

The American Rescue Plan included $4 billion in debt relief for farmers of color, but a lawsuit has thrown the program, and the farmers who need it, into limbo.

April Simpson

“Strange Paradox:” Rural Towns Surrounded By Farmland Are Losing Food Access

In many rural areas, dollar stores are replacing grocery stores. An Illinois town responded by opening a community-owned market.

Amanda Pérez Pintado

The U.S. Dairy System Is in Crisis and Exporting More Milk to Canada Won’t Fix It

U.S. farm policies are bad for dairy farmers, cows, customers and the climate. We shouldn’t try to defeat Canada’s dairy system—we should learn from it.

Niaz Dorry

The Gentrification of the Rural West

What happens to a working-class town when developers put a resort where the sawmill used to be?

Ryanne Pilgeram

Death of a Sales Barn: How Corporations Took Over Our Food System

A new report explains how a handful of agribusiness firms came to dominate U.S. agriculture, how they’re ruining rural America, and how we can stop them.

Zoe Pharo

Farmers Reject Nicor's Pipe Dream

Residents of the historic Black farming community of Pembroke, Illinois want an energy upgrade—but they want renewables, not fossil fuels.

Zoe Pharo

How to Live with the New Predator that Stalks the West

Unwilling to share the landscape with grizzlies, wolves and other predators, the U.S. exterminated most of them. With wildfire, we don’t have that option.

Pepper Trail

Swamped by Vacation Rentals, Small Towns in the West Are Fighting Back

An explosion in the number of short-term rentals is contributing to an affordable housing crisis in the rural West. Some communities have responded by banning them.

Erika Bolstad

A Brief History of How Big Oil Outplayed Us All

For a century, the fossil fuel industry has outmaneuvered regulators and the public to lock in its power and profits, at the world’s expense.

Naomi Oreskes and Jeff Nesbit

In Defense of Hunting

In our age of ecological collapse, hunting animals for food is as relevant as ever.

Joseph Bullington

This Map Shows How Growing Seasons Are Shifting Due to Climate Change

EPA data shows that in some parts of the United States, the growing season is 50 days longer now than it was 1895.

Sky Chadde

After Ida, This Louisiana Tribe Is Organizing Its Own Recovery

Armed with agricultural knowledge and mutual aid networks, the Houma people aren't waiting on the government to rescue them.

Joseph Bullington

The Curious Case of Carter County: How a Small Town in Montana Stopped Shrinking

On the Great Plains, these days, rural towns tend to wither. But in remote eastern Montana, one community is bucking that trend. How?

Eric Dietrich

When Conservation Means Fencing Out Black Farmers

In southern Illinois, conservation groups see a chance to protect rare oak savannas. Black farmers and hunters see their way of life being bought out from under them.

Tony Briscoe

How Farmers Markets and Food Trucks Became a Beachhead for Gentrification

In gentrifying neighborhoods, developers use food options to lure in more affluent residents, and longtime residents find themselves forced to compete against the “urban food machine.”

Pascale Joassart-Marcelli